Handover of the Danish West Indies

An extensive collection of more than 400 documents, letters and photographs documenting the handover of the Danish West Indies to the United States in 1917 is presented at the book auction on 16 April. The material comes from the inheritors of the Danish naval officer and minister Henri Konow (1862-1939), who was appointed governor of the Danish West Indies in 1916, and who was assigned to oversee the transfer of the colony to the United States on 31 March 1917.

Henri Konow’s Life Book

The material, which provides an extensive insight into the special nature of Konow’s work, was collected over a lifetime in the scrapbook “Henri Konow Livsbog”. The impressive book contains several documents, proclamations and proxies, all of which directly relate to the transfer of the Danish West Indies. It also contains a number of autograph comments and notes by Konow himself. The unique material is considered to be of both great military and cultural historical importance. In his printed memoirs, Konow later described this task as honourable, but also very taxing.

Gudbrand’s Bible from Hólar

For the first time in several years, we have the pleasure of presenting one of the greatest treasures of Icelandic printing: the original version of the first complete Bible printed in Icelandic known as “Gudbrands Biblia” from 1584. Only very few copies still remain, and the work is today considered to be the rarest of the Scandinavian folio Bibles. In addition to the significant contribution made by the Danish king, all churches in Iceland also had to contribute one rix-dollar for the printing of the work.

A colourful piece of Danish history

At this book auction, we will also be selling the first part of the extensive collection of maps and nautical charts of the late Air Captain Dan Fredslund Kjeldsen. The maps – most of which are maps of Denmark – were drawn by various well-known cartographers, all are copperplate engraved and most of them were even hand-coloured at the same time. Also up for auction is a copy of Homann’s rare “Atlas Novus Terrarum Orbis Imperia Regna et Status exactis Tabulis Geographice demonstrans [...]” printed in Nuremberg in c. 1720.

From Monte Carlo Bonds to pop-up tomato cans

At the more modern end of the spectrum, this time we are presenting a rare complete edition of Carl-Henning Pedersen’s magnificent folio work comprising 24 original lithographs for 12 Hans Christian Andersen fairytales. Only 200 numbered and signed copies were printed. In addition, we have a rare copy of the journal “XXe Siècle” from 1938, containing an original lithograph of Marcel Duchamp’s Monte Carlo Bond No. 12 as well as a copy of Andy Warhol’s Index Book containing pop-ups, including canned tomatoes, an accordion with sound and an LP by Lou Reed.

Preview and auction

The preview of the book auction takes place at our premises at Baltikavej 10, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø from 10 am–5 pm on Monday 15 April to Tuesday 16 April from 10 am–5 pm. The hammers will fall online at bruun-rasmussen.dk from 6 pm on Tuesday 16 April.

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